


Tendrils of Regret

by Zenith_Lux



Series: Tendrils [1]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Adorable kitten - Freeform, Budding Romance, DMCWeek2020, Demonically Enhanced!Reader, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Mutual Pining, Post DMC5, demonic spiders, eventually, mentions of V - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:55:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26806210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zenith_Lux/pseuds/Zenith_Lux
Summary: After developing a close friendship with V, you’re left stranded after he disappears, left with powers you gained from your time imprisoned by the Qliphoth tree. Over time, you began to heal, growing close to Lady and Trish while accepting what you’re slowly becoming. Now, after a victorious return from the Underworld, you’re left with Dante and his mysterious brother Vergil who may be closer to you than you’re ready for.
Relationships: Vergil (Devil May Cry)/Reader, Vergil (Devil May Cry)/You
Series: Tendrils [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1954999
Comments: 63
Kudos: 243





	1. PART ONE

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to my new Vergil/Reader fic (series... thing). I originally wrote this story for DMC week, so all the chapters will be out over the next seven days, and the follow-up stories will be out over the next few months. 
> 
> Regardless, hope you enjoy! :)

You still remember those frightful days, trapped in the body of a demon. You’d been there for a week and a half kept alive by a vine that pierced your body with magic you didn’t understand. Most of the time, you drifted in and out of sleep, alone in the darkness and dreaming of the world you were missing. Other times you were forced to watch as the thing you were playing host to gleefully pierced the hearts of others with its vines and tendrils, sucking away their blood and devouring their life itself. How you trembled with fear, uncertain whether to pray for a rescue or hope for your end. 

Then, there was _him._ The man that became your savior. A tall, tattooed, black-haired man with remarkable demons that sensed who you were. “Well, well!” A talking bird demon said. “There’s a human in here.” When he landed on your demon’s head, you felt him peck it before flying back to the arm of the man. “What’s the plan, V?”

 _V_ you thought as the man swung his cane with a low chuckle. “We’ll just have to tear them out.”

Your demon screeched, slamming its vines down around the man. But V just scoffed as he slipped out of the way. A black panther lunged… and that’s all you remembered. When you woke up, you were in his arms with the panther nuzzling your side, a large, rock creature sitting behind him, and a whispered promise; “I’ll protect you.”

And, for the next month, he did. V taught you how to use your new powers that the vine embedded in your chest gave you. He fought alongside you, destroying the vines of that demon tree that nearly destroyed your home. His demons became your friends. You slept by Shadow’s side almost every night, while Griffon cuddled up next to V after complaining that it was “the kitty’s job” almost every time. All five of you had been close- as close as you could be considering how little time you actually had. 

Then, one day, he gave you two bracelets made of black cords and a blue rose charm on each. “Hold on to these,” He said. “And when I see you again, you’ll return one to me.” Then, he smiled and kissed your forehead before disappearing for months with no sign of coming home. Another acquaintance of yours, Dante, also disappeared, leaving you, Lady, and Trish to keep Devil May Cry going in his absence. 

Not a day went by that you didn’t think of V. But you had to keep moving forward. You couldn’t let your feelings consume you, not when you still had a piece of a demon latched to your heart. Lady and Trish treated you well, though you didn’t miss the occasional pity in their eyes, as if they knew something you didn’t. But you never got a chance to ask, and they never told. All three of you simply worked together under Morrison’s guidance, with you taking all the jobs your powers could handle. 

Still, you couldn’t help but feel disconnected from the world. You were missing _something_ important. A piece of your life that you couldn’t get back. 

“So what’s it today, Morrison?” Lady said as she hopped on the desk and swiped a piece of pizza. Trish rolled her eyes but took her own slice. You slunk over to the second desk you’d recently bought to store all the paperwork and the blue rose you’d bought a few weeks ago. You touched your hand to the soil, feeling its life pulse in your fingertips. The petals bloomed under your touch, reinvigorated. 

“Nothing important today,” Morrison said, waving a letter in the air. “Except some paperwork.” He tossed the envelope and you caught it without looking. “Can you handle that, Rose?”

Rose wasn’t your real name, but you’ve never shared it with them. You were a different person now after you were a part of that demon. You’d never returned to your family, accepting this new life as your own. And Dante had tried plenty of other names - Sunshine. Sugarplum. Little Leaf. Vine Lady. - but it had been V who’d overridden him, calling you “my little rose”. The women had accepted it, and Dante had eventually let his silly nicknames go. “What’s it today, Mori?” You ask, opening the letter. Inside was a stack of letters, bills, and invoices. You click your tongue. “Finances.”

“Yep,” Morrison said. “Your favorite pastime.”

“I’ll take care of it.” You plop down in your seat, tapping the power button of your computer. You’d insisted on getting one of these after Dante left after proclaiming that he was living “in the dark ages”. Trish and Lady had agreed with it, but progress was slow. Dante’s backlog of bills was still a problem that you were trying to solve. But with Lady and Trish’s help, you’d be all caught up in the next few months. 

And since you were the only one who lived here, you were very dedicated to making it as comfortable as possible. 

You often wondered if Dante would be proud of your work or laugh at you for trying too hard. 

“Have you eaten today, Rose?” Lady said after gulping down another slice. 

You waved her off. “I have enough sustenance.”

Lady snorted. “Out with the plants again?”

“Gotta keep the vine happy,” You said as you patted your chest. “And it’s not a big fan of pizza.”

“More for us,” Lady said with a grin, but it slipped away as you returned to your work. “Seriously though. You gotta take care of yourself. Can’t have you passing out on us again.”

You frown, not looking up. “That wasn’t my fault.” After V disappeared, you’d be left to navigate your powers alone. What you didn’t realize was that V had been providing a certain sustenance - demonic blood you later found out - and was redirecting a portion towards you through his familiars. Regular food only did so much, and you’d nearly died fighting off a pack of demons. Luckily, both Lady and Trish had been there for that mission and Trish guessed what had gone wrong. Now, you were careful to absorb any demonic essence you could find but often forgot to eat as food was bland and useless now. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” 

You shrugged. “I’m fine.” And that wasn’t a lie. Not technically. You were fine, just not great. Nights were often lonely without the company, but you never complained. All you had to do was fall asleep at a good time and everything was fine. At least, that’s what you told yourself. Your version of “at a good time” had gotten progressively later as the weeks went on. You often found yourself lingering on the computer, aimlessly searching through things that didn’t interest you for that chance to find one thing that did.

Lady just shook her head, but her smile and relaxed posture returned. “That was almost convincing,” She said with a shrug. 

You smiled, glancing up over the monitor. “It’s as close to the truth as I can get.”

Lady hopped off the desk, reaching for Kalina Ann. “May as well patrol,” She said. “As exciting as those _finances_ are…”

You waved her off. “Have fun.”

Lady rolled her eyes. “Always do!” 

Then, the door opened. 

Your head shot up in surprise. Lady sucked in a sharp breath of surprise. Trish’s eyes narrowed as she leaned against the desk. A man in a red coat walked backward into the office. “... And you’re going to love it,” Dante said as he spun around. His eyes immediately darted between the three of you and he froze, caught between a genuine smile and a look of shock. Behind him stood a man you’d never seen before, but someone that was clearly related to Dante. If his hair were down and his face a little more grizzled, they’d be almost identical. When his gaze fell on you, it was stiff and uncomfortable. 

“Hello ladies,” Dante said with an awkward wave. “Long time no see.”

“Seven months!” Lady snapped. “And you gave the deed to Morrison!?” She looked ready to slap him, but you didn’t miss the weary gaze she gave the second man. “You brought _him_ back?”

“Of course,” Dante said with a shrug. “He’s on our side now.”

You blinked. Now? What did that mean? Why wasn’t he before?

Wait…

“Where’s V?” You said, unable to contain the fear in your voice. The second man’s eyes narrowed as Dante’s gaze snapped to you.

“Sunshine…”

“Where is he?” You repeated, standing up. “He went into that tree with you. Why’s he…?” You trailed off, eyes widening. “No…” He couldn’t have… he promised…

“I’m sorry,” Dante said, his tone solemn. No one was looking at you. “But V… well the V you knew is… it’s complicated.”

“The V I _knew?”_ You said. “What do you mean?”

Dante glanced at the girls, his eyes begging for help, but neither of them said a word. “Well you see… my dumbass brother Vergil here…” The other man scoffed, but Dante just glared at him before continuing. “He split himself in two.”

You blinked. “What?”

“His human half,” Dante said, putting his hands to one side. “And his demon half.” He moved to the other. “So V is…” He hesitated, then held both hands out toward Vergil. Wiggling them for extra effect. “Well… Tada!”

You stared at him, mouth agape. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Not one second of it. But the way the other man - Vergil - just stared at him was… disconcerting. This was V… but not V? How was that even possible?

Wait…

“Then what happened to his demon half?”

This time, you didn’t miss the pointed glances Trish and Lady gave each other or the pained look on Dante’s face. Vergil didn’t move, nor had his gaze left yours since he’d walked in the door. You pulled your jacket tight around yourself, trying not to let it bother you. “Well… You know that demon in the tree?” Dante said. 

The world seemed to freeze as your mind caught up to what he was saying. You closed your eyes, unable to hide the tears. “You mean… the one who put me in that… thing?”

“Rose...” Lady said. 

“Did you know?” You said. A pulse of pain emanated from your chest as everything snapped into focus. The feeling of _life_ nearly overwhelmed you. The rose on your desk. The plants beneath the floorboards. The vines that had yet to dissipate nearby. You could feel them, calling to you. Begging you to set them free. You swallowed, shoving the feeling back down. But you couldn’t stay here; the vine would nag at you until you gave in. And with your emotions breaking down…

“It happened to us too,” Trish said, her tone quieter than you’d ever heard. “But we made it out without… your affliction.”

 _Affliction._ “But V saved me,” She said. “He’s the reason I’m alive… the reason I know how to use this.” She tapped her chest. 

“Use what?” Vergil said. 

You couldn’t help but glare at him, even through the ever-mounting tears. “You don’t remember?”

Vergil just stared at you and Lady groaned. “Of course not. That would be too simple.”

“Urizen got to her,” Dante said as a matter of fact. “Tied her up in some plant demon and wrapped a vine around her heart. Now she’s got demon powers.” He looked back at you. “And no one’s figured out how to get rid of the thing?”

“Not without killing her,” Trish said.

You choked back a sob, slamming your eyes shut again. _No._ You could still remember the voice of the demon in your head. That _thing_ that had taken your body as its own host. 

You couldn’t do this.

You couldn’t bear to look at him. 

You darted for the door. Dante leaped out of the way, but the Vergil just stood there, stopping you short. “Move,” You snapped, glaring at him. His eyes narrowed and his shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t move. More tears slipped down your cheek. “Get out of my way,” You said. 

“What was he to you?” He said. 

“Shouldn’t you know?” You replied, bitter and resentful. “Since you were him or some nonsense?”

“She and V were close,” Trish said. You didn’t want to hear it, but you didn’t stop her either. “Like sharing the same room close.” You saw Vergil flinch and it only soured your mood even more. How _dare_ he act like that. Did you really mean nothing to him? Did he really forget _everything_ you and his… his what did? His “other self”? His “human half”? Did V even exist anymore? Or were you just stuck with this asshole standing in front of you?

“Move,” You said.

Vergil watched you for a moment longer. His sharp blue eyes were unsettling. The power within you swelled unexpectedly. A harsh desire washed over you. A desire to prove… something. A desire to… to what? 

What was happening?

“Rose,” Lady said. “You need to breathe.”

“I need to leave,” You said. 

“Come on, Verge,” Dante said. “Let the girl go.”

Finally, Vergil stepped aside and you rushed out into the night. 

* * *

Lady found you half an hour later on a low rooftop surrounded by plants you’d raised from the ground before you crawled up there. You pulled more than usual tonight, cocooning yourself in vines covered in small, white flowers, giant sunflowers that had surprised you, and a couple of large roses fueled by your despair. Redgrave was destroyed already. Your plants just made it prettier. At least, that’s what you told yourself as you peered up at the moon through a small opening. 

“Can I join you?” Lady said. You hummed noncommittally but tapped your fingers. Two of the vines fell away, opening a small door until she stepped inside. You used to do this with V, as it was a good practice of your control. Of course, you’d only managed a few plants with him. After months of your own practice, you’d gotten much better. 

Not that you showed it off to many people.

“It’s okay to be upset,” Lady said as she sat down beside you. “I know it’s a lot to take in.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

She didn’t hesitate. “To be honest, we weren’t sure what was going to happen. Dante had left to kill his brother, and V himself was deteriorating… as I’m sure you remember.” You nodded, but you didn’t look at her. “But we should have guessed Dante would find a way to save him. And he sure wouldn’t survive forever away from his beer and pizza.”

“And his friends,” you offered.

Lady snorted, but she smiled. “He was probably happy to be away from us for a while.”

You shrugged. “He’s probably glad to see you both again.” Your gaze lifted back to the moon. “Unlike V… Vergil.” The name was still bitter on your tongue and you weren’t sure if you’d ever get used to saying it. You could imagine V right here, telling you the truth. How much you would have laughed with him over the very imaginative name he’d given himself before he would lull you to comfort with poems and Shadow’s purrs. How little you would have cared then. V was V. His own person. The man you…

You sighed. “Now what?” 

Lady was silent for a moment, eyes drifting to the moon. “I’m not expecting you to have the same feelings for Vergil that you did for V,” She said. You didn’t look at her as tears threatened to fall again. “V is a part of the whole, yes, but he isn’t… the whole.” Lady sighed. “It’s…”

“Complicated?” You said.

“Something like that,” She said. “Just don’t let him get to you.” She hesitated again, then sighed. “Last time we met… he wasn’t the nicest guy. But maybe he’s changed. Who knows?” She muttered something under her breath, but you only caught the words “I” and “wouldn’t”. Your heart sank at the implication. _I wouldn’t trust him._

“What should I do then?” You said. “Just… accept it?”

“I don’t know,” She admitted. “But I wanted you to know that I’ll be here for you, okay? If you need anything, don’t be afraid to come to me.”

You closed your eyes, letting the tears fall. “He’s really gone,” You whisper. As much as you knew V, you didn’t know Vergil. You didn’t even know if you could trust him. The sheer fact that _he’d_ been the demon to seal you away, the very reason you had to give up everything you loved… was heartbreaking. How could you look at him the same? How could you see the man you’d grown to care for and ignore the awful things that had happened?

“Life’s never easy for people like us,” Lady said. 

You shook your head. “Of course not.”


	2. PART TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh thanks so much for all the support last chapter <3 I really hope ya'll enjoy the rest of the story too!

You still remember the day you caught V pantomiming a violin. You’d left with Shadow for a bit to deal with some demons nearby. “Divide and conquer,” V said with his usual smirk. You two were more than comfortable with each other by then, and his smile alone made your heart flutter. “I’ll be waiting.”

So of course you took that as a challenge, taking out as many demons as you could and wilting the vines of the tree. That had been a difficult thing to learn too, as killing them seemed to go against the nature of the vine that still fed off of you. But you learned, if only to keep from dragging V down. 

And when you returned, that’s when you caught him strumming the air as Nightmare and Griffon annihilated everything around them. You’d watched for a moment, mesmerized as you imagined what song might be playing in his head. He seemed like a classical kind of guy, and you could imagine him performing in front of a crowd, exquisite violin in hand. Eventually, he’d stopped as the demons around him dissipated and bowed in your direction. “Entertained, my little vine?”

You choked back a laugh. “Giving your prey a show?”

“Only when the mood dictates it.”

You snorted, hoping down from the rooftop. You landed on a plant that wilted the second you stepped off. Shadow materialized beside you, rubbing your leg with his snout before wandering back to V’s side. “Because murder and chaos is always the best time for a show.”

“Exactly,” V said as he leaned on his cane. “You already understand.”

But as you moved toward him, his body began to crumble. Alarmed, you reached for him, but his hand slipped through yours. His smile remained as everything else turned to dust. “Don’t worry,” His voice whispered in your head as the world turned dark. “I’ll be back soon. Hold on to those until then.”

You jerked awake, clamping the sheets as tight as you could. You stared at the ceiling, calming your nerves as you let go. The red rose on your bedside table shrunk, and you could see one, hand-sized petal lying beside it.  _ Great,  _ you thought as you sat up. Now you were growing plants in your sleep. You hoped that wouldn’t keep happening or you might tear apart Devil May Cry in a fit of nightmares.  _ Lovely.  _

It had been a week since Dante and Vergil had returned, and you’d done a good job of avoiding at least the elder twin since then. It helped that Vergil himself had no interest in talking to you and stayed in his new room for most of the day. There had been a bit of an awkward moment when he’d wandered into your room, clearly remembering that it was also  _ his,  _ even though he’d never admit it. 

You got up slowly, flinching as you reached for your chest. The vine was hungry- you could practically hear it purring- but it would survive until you were done with your shower. 

But as you stood under the blazing hot water, another feeling washed over you. A strange sense of dread that had you shivering. Your heart leaped into your throat, and you could imagine the vine hissing as it constricted. You took a slow breath, trying to calm it down. But the pain… you hadn’t felt this kind of pain since you’d been lodged in that demon. 

Was it because of  _ him?  _ The pain had been more constant over the last week, but you hadn’t really thought about it. Was the vine reacting to his presence? He had been the demon of the tree… your demon’s master for all intents and purposes. But this new version of him had to be different, right? Disconnected from that… monster? But if he was V but also not…

You groaned, lowering your head to let the water slip down your face. Your poor, human brain was still struggling to process it all. You’d been mourning V’s loss, trying to ignore the logistics of everything else. Lady and Trish had kept an eye on you, but you were pretty certain you’d overheard Vergil calling you “overdramatic” followed by a loud “slap” from Lady who had no problems calling him every name in the book.

You reached for your chest again, feeling the star-shaped scar you’d been given. Trish gave you a special cream months ago to help with the constant, foreign itch it gave you, so maybe she would know what was wrong. Even Lady probably knew something. They had known about Vergil, after all. And hadn’t they said they’d been trapped in demons too?  _ V would know what to do,  _ you thought. Yet talking to  _ Vergil _ was the furthest thing from your mind. You had a feeling he’d be more likely to glare you down than say anything useful. 

How could a man like that be V? It just didn’t make any sense. 

_ Or maybe you should give him a chance.  _

You didn’t know what part of you was saying that. 

You finished your shower quickly, drying yourself off and dressing in an easy set of summer clothing. No dresses anymore - demons had torn through those faster than you cared for - but shorts, tank-top, and a thin jacket were more than enough. You rushed out into the hallway and down the stairs. “Trish…”

You froze at the bottom as your eyes found Vergil. Your breath caught in your throat as your heart pulsed again. Pain wracked your body, and you were certain you hadn’t kept it off your face. “Sunshine!” Dante said from his desk as he scarfed down a bite of old pizza. “You’re up early.”

“Where’s Trish?” You said.

“Whaaaaat we’re not good enough for ya?”

You scowled at him. “I don’t know you that well.”

“Well let’s fix that,” he said as he hopped up from his desk. Vergil rolled his eyes but otherwise didn’t look up from the book he was reading. “I’m Dante. That guy over there is Vergil.” You glared at him, but he just laughed. “As you probably know by now, we’re a couple of half-demons that love to fight each other.” He tapped his chest with his thumb as if he was proud of such a thing. “So what can  _ you  _ do?”

“Lots of things,” You said as you crossed your arms. “Your finances being one of them.”

“And I thank you for that,” Dante said sheepishly. “Sounds like we won’t be running out of power with you around.” 

“Not as long as I live here, no.”

You swore you saw Vergil stiffen the corner of your eye. Dante laughed, his grin returning. “Of course. Wouldn’t dream of kicking you out now. The place might as well be yours. But!” He held up one finger and wagged it close to your face. “I only saw a glimpse of what you could do before I left. Seven months of practice must have been heaven.”

You scoffed. Heaven? Clearly, he didn’t know the extent of your nightmare, but that was a conversation for another time. “I need to speak with…”

“Enough,” Vergil said as he snapped his book closed. You froze, eyes wide as the very air rushed from your lungs, silencing you in an instant. “This is a waste of time,” he said as he rose from his seat. “If the woman wants to be stubborn then why push it?”

“Woman?” You said. “You have a million other names to choose from and you go with that?”

He glared at you. “Quiet. I’m not talking to you.”

Your mouth clamped shut as the vine twisted in your chest. Dante glared at his brother, not noticing your distress. “No reason to be so rude.”

“I told you we don’t need her help,” Vergil said.

“And I told you you’re going to have to deal with it.”

_ Guys,  _ you thought, but your mouth remained stubbornly shut.  _ Don’t fight.  _

But they didn’t let up. “Just because she had some  _ relationship  _ with V does not mean she needs one with me,” Vergil said.

“I’m not asking you to start a  _ relationship _ ,” Dante said with a roll of his eyes. “I’m asking you to be  _ friendly.  _ It’s not that hard.”

“I have no use for  _ friends.”  _

Anger swelled within you as their squabble almost turned violent. A sword appeared in Dante’s hand. Vergil clicked another out of a sheathe you hadn’t realized he was holding. You still couldn’t speak, your lips refused to open for more than paltry breaths. But you could do one thing. One very, very stupid thing. And before either of the brothers noticed, you made your move, swinging as hard as humanly possible at Dante’s arm. An audible smack startled even you. He jerked away as you shook out your hand, unable to swear at the pain in your wrist. “Ow?” Dante said. You rolled your eyes and pointed at Vergil. “What about him?” You pointed at your mouth, frustrated when they both just stared at you. 

“Use your words, woman!” Vergil snapped. 

“I can’t!” Spilled out of your mouth so fast you were genuinely surprised. “What have you done to me?”

The brothers exchanged glances and Dante’s expression turned serious for the first time in that conversation. “What happened?”

You hesitated, not sure if you should tell  _ Vergil  _ of all people your suspicions. But you had a feeling that you’d never get one twin without the other, and Trish was nowhere in sight. “Something’s wrong,” You said, defeated. “Ever since you two came back this… thing…” You pointed to your chest, “has been bothering me more than usual.”

“How much is more than usual?” Dante said.

You groaned. “I don’t know? It's always hurting, but last night it started… getting mad at me.”

Vergil scoffed. “Your  _ sentient  _ plant stuck to your heart is  _ angry  _ with you?”

“Oh don’t you start,” You said. “All of this is  _ your  _ fault after all, you...” You flinched as your heart twisted again. “Asshole.” You said, fighting through the pain. Your mind told you it was worth it, but your heart was very,  _ very _ angry. 

Vergil blinked, though his lips tightened into a thin line while Dante choked back what you assumed was a laugh. When Vergil’s glare turned to his brother, Dante just shrugged. “Well, she’s not wrong.”

You threw your hands up into the air. “You’re both useless!” You spun around, zipping up your jacket and making for the door. 

“Hey now,” Dante said as he followed you. “Don’t drag me down with him.”

“Storming off again?” Vergil said. 

“If it means not looking at your…” Another jab of pain. “Being,” You said. “Then yes.”

“How very mature of you.”

“Marginally more than you at the moment,” You said as you stumbled your way to the front door. The pain in your chest radiated to your bloodstream, sweeping through your body. You grunted, angry at the world, furious with him, annoyed with Dante, and suddenly missing the “normal” life you’d come to appreciate. 

Dante appeared before you so quickly you nearly tumbled in shock. “I know you’re upset,” Dante said. 

“Upset?” You said. That was the understatement of the century. 

“But I’m certain more demons came with us when we came back,” he continued. “We have no idea what’s waiting out there. And if Lady and Trish aren’t going alone, then neither should you.”

“I don’t need  _ him  _ around,” You said, waving your hand toward Vergil. 

“But clearly something’s going on between you two,” Dante said gently. “And until we know for sure what it is, maybe you  _ do  _ need him.”

“No,” Both you and Vergil said at the same time. 

Dante sighed as he put his hands on his shoulders. You felt so small compared to him, and you liked to think you were at least average. But that’s when you realized you were actually  _ terrified.  _ Not of the brothers. Not even of Vergil and his weird demon magic that had apparently been spun around you. But of the unknown. The uncertainty of your future now that V - the V as you knew him - was no longer a part of it. What would happen to you now? You could keep fighting demons at Devil May Cry, and you’d have to in order to satiate the vine, but what else were you living for? What was your plan now? 

_ Start with Dante,  _ You could imagine V saying.  _ You can trust him.  _

You found it ironic that he wasn’t recommending himself. 

You sighed in frustration and shut the door. “Fine. I had a book I wanted to read anyway.”

Dante grinned as he pulled away. “You hear that Vergil? She likes to read!”

You scowled but refrained from responding. You could tell that Vergil was doing the same as he simply clicked his sword back and forth like some kind of nervous tendency. But instead of saying anything, he simply plopped back on the couch and opened his book, no longer giving you the time of day.

Fine.

Two could play at that game.


	3. PART THREE

You found out very quickly that it was easy for you to annoy Vergil. In fact, it seemed that your entire existence was enough to do it. But you quite enjoyed pushing more of his buttons. Music in the shower? Check. Typing as loudly as possible while working on the paperwork? Check. Silent treatment? Check. (He did tell you to be quiet, after all). Conveniently forget to wash his clothes despite helping Dante with the laundry? Check. Anything you could do to make his day a little more annoying was free game. 

But you also realized very quickly that Vergil was doing the exact same thing. Buy pizza for dinner but forget that you couldn’t eat it? Check. Read in your desk chair and ignore your (silent) demands to leave? Check (Though he’d quickly given that up when you’d almost sat in his lap just to prove a point). Bring home the stinkiest demons he could find to help with your “condition”? Check. (You wish Trish hadn’t recommended he or Dante do such a thing). And your little game, or whatever it was, went on and on and on. A never-ending dance of increasingly annoying things back and forth, as if one was waiting for the other to crack.

And Dante was absolutely loving it. 

“It doesn't bother me one bit,” he said one day while looking through one of his more scandalous magazines. “It’s lively around here now, thanks to you.” 

You stared at him. “Lively!?”

Dante laughed as he tossed his magazine toward the trash bin. He missed, of course, and just put his hands on the back of his head. “It’s been a long time since my brother and I shared the same space, but things would have been boring between us. You’re like… chaos incarnate.” You scowled at him, but he just kept going. “Verge can’t predict you, and I think that’s good for him.”

“Good for him?” You said. 

“And it’s entertaining,” Dante said as he grabbed another magazine from his desk.

“How many of those do you have?”

“Just about enough,” He said with a grin. “Now go pester my brother some more.”

“He’s not even home.”

“But he will be-”

Then the phone rang. 

Both of you stared at it for a moment. The phone hadn’t rung once since Dante and Vergil had come back from the Underworld almost a month ago. It was Morrison who had taken all of the calls, sending requests their way in a well-coordinated manner. The only reason the phone was even on the desk was because Dante claimed he was “fond of it”. In fact, you hadn’t even realized it was plugged in, as you all had cell phones now. 

“Should you get that?” You said. 

Dante glanced at you, then back to the phone. Finally, he lifted it off of the receiver. “Devil May-”

“Demons!” A male voice yelled. “There’s a swarm of them outside my house!”

Dante frowned, glancing at you. You nodded, more than ready to get out of the store for a little while. “Where are you?” Dante said. The voice was quieter this time, but Dante just nodded. “We’ll be there shortly.” He tossed the phone back on the receiver and grinned at you. “Sure you wanna come, sunshine?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Only one way we’re going to get there.”

You blinked. “But you don’t have a car.”

“Nope,” He said as he grabbed his sword off the wall. 

“What then?” You said. “Am I piggy-backing?”

He laughed. “Something like that.”

* * *

You don’t know what compelled you to get on that infernal bike. As much as you’d come to trust Dante, riding a demon motorcycle without a helmet and an arguably crazy driver was the last thing you should have done. And he made you pay for it, going far faster than the speed limit, turning corners as sharp as possible, and even jumping a bridge with little care in the world. At some point, you’d been forced to wrap your arms around his stomach to keep from falling right off. And once he’d skidded to a stop in front of an old country home outside of Redgrave, you’d jumped off the bike so fast you almost hit the dirt stumbling away. “Are you crazy?” You said, breathing heavily. 

“But it was fun.” He said as he sent the bike away. 

“Fun!?”

“You were perfectly safe, Sunshine.”

“Stop calling me that!”

“And if I don’t?”

You scowled and stormed toward the building. Except a demonic screech from nearby stopped you in your tracks. You wandered to the side of the building, peering around the back. As the man had said, there were numerous demons. They were ones you’d seen before; fat bodies, flowers for heads with nothing but mouths filled with shark teeth. However, most of them were already dead, and a certain blue-coated man was standing in the middle of the carnage. 

“Hey, Verge!” Dante yelled with a dramatic wave. “Surprised you got here first.”

The elder brother swiped his hand through his hair. “Of course I did,” He said. “You should have sensed them yourself.”

Dante snorted. “From Devil May Cry? You give Sunshine too much credit.”

“Me?” You said. “I can’t sense demons.” 

A rumble beneath your feet stopped you in your tracks. Dante moved first, picking you up before you had a chance to react and leaping an impossible distance away. The ground split open, throwing chunks of earth in all directions. Dante slashed a few that came towards you. The others suddenly turned to dust as Vergil clicked his sword back in its sheath. “Show off,” Dante said. Vergil said nothing. 

Your heart pulsed with sudden energy as vines shot out of the ground. In the next second, a blur of purple emerged, slamming down in front of you. Petals unfurled on top of a bulbous stomach, revealing a humanoid figure from the waist up. Her beady red eyes fell on you as a crown of black rose petals formed on her head. “I knew I sensed you.”

Your heart pulsed again. You flinched, grabbing at it. The demon laughed. “How far you’ve fallen, sister.” Vines snaked out toward you, but they too disintegrated. The creature wasn’t even phased as more vines emerged to take their place. “Take a host, she said. I’ll be stronger than even you.” The demon cackled in pure delight. “Look at you now, sister. Nothing more than a useless vine in a useless body.” 

Your eyes narrowed, but it was Dante who stepped forward. “You picked the wrong place to sprout.”

Her eyes flickered between the brothers. “Sons of Sparda,” She said with a dramatic sigh. “How unfortunate. No matter,” The creature said. “You can’t really blame me. My sister and her master in the same place?” Her eyes came back to you. “Both shadows of their former selves.”

_ Master…  _

“This is a waste of time,” Vergil said. “Just kill her and be done with it.”

“Tired of the interesting stories already, Verge?!” Dante said. 

Vergil reached for his sword. “If you won’t do it then I’ll-”

“Who are you?” You said, taking a step forward. You could feel the weight of Vergil’s glare on the back of your head but ignored him. “I remember her thoughts, and she never spoke of you.”

“Of course not, worm,” The demon said. “I was the better of the two and she just couldn’t accept it.”

Dante snorted. “Now that sounds familiar.”

“You’re lucky she’s here,” Vergil said through gritted teeth. 

“What? Afraid of what she’ll think?” Dante said. “That’s funny coming from you.”

“I suggest you…”

“Shut up,” You snapped as you took another step forward. The vines didn’t move, and the demon was giving you a curious look. “You want your sister back, don’t you?”

“What would make you think that?”

“You came to see her,” you said. “And you couldn’t have known she was in my body.”

“What are you getting at?”

“You know how to remove the piece she left behind.”

After a moment of silence, the demon burst into laughter. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t bother now. She got what she deserved, and I do enjoy the suffering of humans.” Vines crawled up around you but you merely flicked your hand and they slammed back into the ground. The demon’s laughter stopped, her eyes wide. “You retained her powers?”

“Guess you’ll have to find out.” You said as you raised your hand, calling to your own plants. But a sharp pain pierced your chest. You cried out, barely able to remain standing as your vision blurred. 

“Poor little girl,” The demon said. “Can’t even fight without your  _ Master’s _ permission.”

“What?” 

“You probably thought you were free while he was gone from this world,” The demon said. “But you’re not. Not anymore. That pathetic vine in your heart pledged her allegiance to the Demon King. You’re lucky you can even breathe without his permission.”

Furious, you whirled on Vergil. “Stop… whatever this is.”

“I’m not doing anything,” He said. 

A vine crashed beside you. You pushed it back, but your head felt like it was splitting open. “I was right then,” You said. “You… You can…” You couldn’t finish that sentence as the realization struck you.  _ He can control me.  _

You’d never hated the vine in your chest more in your life. 

“I’m done with you,” The demon said as vines wrapped at your feet. “You’ll die here, sister. And I’ll be free.”

“What are you waiting for?” Vergil said. 

“What?”

“You want to fight?” He crossed his arms. “Then do it.”

Your senses snapped into focus. The fog cleared. The pain ceased. And as the vines tightened, you pulled your hands back as fast as you could. The vines split from her body, falling limp around you. The demon shrieked, swinging her arms out. A new pair of vines stretched off her body. You jumped back and touched the ground. You felt your power seep into the soil and you yanked your hand up. Your own plants emerged, their roots growing large enough to block the strike. “How?” The demon yelled, slamming her vines into your barricade again and again. “My sister trained for years. How can you…?”

“I had a good teacher,” You said. Then, you took off into a sprint. Each time a vine swung toward you, you dodged to the side, pulling up more plants to block her path. Her attacks were more frantic, some swinging right over your head. Others missed you entirely. More plants grew; flowers from deep in the soil. Grass that grew and twisted until it was as thick as the vines themselves. As you reached the demon, you slid under her belly, pulling your hands down to your sides. All of your plants surged forward, piercing through the demon’s body. She shrieked, unable to move as more grew, wrapping up around her. You pulled down, straining as you felt her try and fight back. But it was no use. Her own vines wrapped around her, pinning her to the ground. 

The vine in your chest stirred. It was hungry. 

You felt a tinge of excitement, and you didn’t think it was your own. 

You walked slowly as the demon struggled, mentally preparing for what the vine expected of you. You had done this numerous times before, but never on a demon of this size. You remembered the words V had given you when he first taught you what to do.  _ It’s a transference of energy,  _ he’d said as he jabbed his cane into the head of a demon.  _ You’re taking what is rightfully yours.  _

_ How is it rightfully mine? _

_ Strength rules all in the Underworld, my vine. If you defeat a creature like this, its power is yours to take. And if you want to live, you’ll remember that.  _

You did remember. You’d hesitated once after he’d left and it had nearly killed you. Now, you promised yourself that would never happen again. 

You just wished nobody was here to see it. 

As you made your way to the front, you shed your shirt, letting it drop at your feet. You were grateful when neither of the brothers said anything, as you fully expected at least Dante to throw something your way. The demon struggled more, but it was useless. “Strength rules all,” You murmured as you reached your hand out toward her body. She shrieked again, trying to dissuade you. But you barely heard it, wincing as the vine emerged from your chest. It was small at first but grew as it wrapped around your arm, heading for the demon. 

“No!” The demon yelled. “You can’t do this.”

“The better sister, huh,” You said. “Not anymore.”

“Human!” She shouted. “Don’t…” But the vine shot upward, piercing her through the heart. Your senses flared to life, even brighter then they had been before. You watched as blue blood slipped through the vine and back into you. You took a deep, slow breath, adjusting to the foreign feeling. You felt lightheaded, but you always did like this. Your body couldn’t handle the blood. It was human. Fragile. But once the vine snapped back, all would return to normal, its magic doing whatever it needed to do to keep you alive. Before you, the demon shrunk, wilting away as her life slipped out of her body. 

After another moment, the vine pulled away, drawing back into you. The wound closed, leaving behind the same, star-shaped scar that you’d stared at for months. For a moment, the demon stood there, mouth agape as she stared up at the sky. Then, she tumbled backward, shattering like a brittle leaf crushed under the weight of someone like you. You felt dizzy as your heartbeat quickened. You reached for your shirt, but stumbled and fell to your knees. You’d never defeated such a large demon. Not on your own. It had always been V to take the power from them, and you’d gladly given it. But now…

You shuddered as nausea swept over you. Exhaustion spread to all of your muscles, threatening to drag you into a deep slumber. You managed to get your shirt back on, but it was clumsy. You could barely breathe. Barely think. The world felt so small. So constricting. You’d never felt this bad in your life.

Had you taken too much?

_ Stay strong,  _ V had said the first time you’d absorbed a demon.  _ Its power is yours to keep.  _

You felt a hand on your back.  _ Stay strong  _ V whispered again. 

_ Yours to keep.  _

You passed out, uncertain if you’d ever wake up again.


	4. PART FOUR

You remember the first night V slept by your side. 

It was the second week after he freed you from the demon and the fifth night in a row you’d woken up from horrible nightmares. The demon’s thoughts were still in your head, digging into your psyche both while awake and certainly while you were asleep. And nothing you did helped. Not the soothing tea. Not the warm showers. Not the plants near your bedside or Shadow sleeping beside you. Nothing helped. Not until V came to your aid. 

He entered your room in the middle of the night. “I’m sorry,” He said as he sat on the edge of the bed and reached for your forehead. “You’re burning up.”

You could believe it. You felt warm, especially with tears rolling down your cheeks. “I’ll never escape,” You said, pulling your knees to your chest. 

“There’s nothing to escape from,” V said. “You’re already getting stronger.”

“It doesn’t mean anything if I never sleep.”

“Don’t say never,” He lightly chided. “You’ve had good nights.”

“Only a few.”

“It’s better than none.”

You groaned. “You’re far too optimistic.”

He took your hand, rubbing his thumb along the back of it. “Only for you.” You blushed. The rose on your side table bloomed. You glared at it, but V just laughed. “No use in hiding your moods.”

“Is that why you put it there?”

“I want you to be comfortable,” V said. “If it helps… then it helps.”

And it did help. You felt connected to the plants now, for better or for worse. Their energy was yours to manipulate, even if it would be months before you fully understood how to make it work. Not that you would ever understand  _ why  _ it worked. You just knew it did. “So what’s the plan?”

“You need to sleep.”

You frowned. “After a nightmare like that?”

V sat his cane down. Shadow appeared at his feet, hopping onto the bed and curling up behind you. “Would it be alright if I accompanied you?”

“In bed?”

V nodded. “You do well with Shadow, and I think you might do well with me,” His hand gently moved your hair behind your ear. “It’s your choice.”

Shadow purred as you nodded, holding your hand out to him. “Don’t go,” You whispered. “I don’t want to be alone.” You trusted him already. He’d saved you. He’d protected you from the demons that threatened your life and taught you everything you knew. And maybe you were too trusting, but you didn’t care. You had nothing else. Nothing but your plants, your vine, and him. And V followed as you pulled him, lying on the bed with the covers between you. One hand rested on your side as Shadow’s continued purring began to lull you to sleep. 

“I’m here,” He said. “Just for you.”

* * *

You woke up slowly as if rising from underwater. You smelled a variety of strong, conflicting scents and, when you opened your eyes, you were overwhelmed by foliage. Plants were everywhere, spilling from baskets and hanging from the ceiling. Your single red rose had turned into twelve blue ones that were all a bit larger than normal. Stems were braided in the corners. Flowers covered every surface, spilling down over your drawers, up your mirror and around the legs of all the furniture. When you sat up, you were relieved to see that none of them were bursting through the floor. No, someone had put all of these in your room, but you had a feeling it hadn’t looked like this when they were done. 

You turned slowly, feet touching the cold, wooden floor. You closed your eyes, feeling for all the plants on the edges of your mind. Once you found a few, you waved your hand, pulling back some of the life within them. When you opened your eyes again, many had shrunk back to an acceptable size. It was then that you realized you were in one of your nightgowns and your hair was still wet. How long had you been out? Who changed you? Why all of this?

A light knock at the door was one you instantly recognized.  _ Lady!  _ You tried to stand, but dizziness had you sitting right back on the bed. “Come in.”

Your jaw went slack when it was Vergil that entered, brushing aside the vines as he closed the door behind him. You suddenly felt very exposed, even though you were well covered. His expressionless gaze almost had you wilting. A few of your flowers shrank with your mood. “What do you want?” You said warily, lacking the energy needed for your usual sass. In fact, you felt drained, way more than you thought you should after absorbing such a large demon. You took one of the roses and lay it in your hand, watching as it withered away, donating its life to you. You placed it back on the table and looked up at him. 

“I’ve been informed that I am, under no uncertain terms, to make a truce with you.”

“A truce?” You echoed. “What?”

“I am to stop antagonizing you and avoid giving accidental commands whenever possible.” You were almost impressed at how even his voice sounded. There was no disdain as far as you could tell, but his face didn’t give anything away. He was talking pure business, and that was something you could manage. 

“That would be appreciated,” You said. 

“I’ve also been informed that I am to be your partner for the foreseeable future.”

“My what now?” You said. “I don’t need…”

“Neither do I,” He interrupted. “But considering the circumstances behind your… condition… the others have tasked me with ensuring that you are…” His jaw set. “Taken care of.”

You snorted. “What did you put it to a vote?”

“I had no part in that decision,” He said flatly. 

“But you’re going with it anyway.?”

“Unless you tell me otherwise.”

“Is that a sliver of hope I hear?”

His eyes narrowed. “Dante has made it very clear that he would be… disappointed in me if that were to happen.”

“Oh good,” You said. “Then feel free to leave.”

Vergil’s hand tightened on his sword. “Lady and Trish were going to speak to you first, but…”

“But you jumped at the chance?” You said. “How nice of you.”

“Will you…” He took a deep breath to steady himself and started again. “I did some research on your condition, but we need more time to fix it.”

“Will you stop calling it that?” She said. “You make it sound like I’m slowly dying of some horrible disease.”

“There is nothing else to call it,” Vergil said. 

“I suppose “my mistake” would be too difficult for you to say.”

You didn’t think his eyes could narrow any further. They did. “You’re obnoxious.”

“Are you projecting?” 

He took another slow breath, but you saw the way his knuckles were slowly turning white around the hilt of his katana. Why did you enjoy this so much? Normally making someone this upset (angry? furious?) would bother you. But with him you almost felt vindicated. Maybe it was the fact that your “condition” was his fault to begin with. Maybe it's because you were still in denial and expected V to walk in the door at any time. “Look,” He said. “I don’t expect us to  _ like  _ each other, but everyone expects us to at least get along. Either we can act like adults, or we can both go our separate ways and be done with it.”

You were silent for a long moment.  _ We can act like adults.  _ Nice of him to actually point some of the blame at himself, even if it was in a backhanded way. But could you trust him? A large part of you said no. It was too easy for him to control you. One slip up or wrong word choice and you’d be caught right under his demonic spell. But if he was being serious… and if the others believed in him... 

“Fine,” You said slowly. “But I have some caveats.” 

You swore you saw his eyebrows twitch. “Such as?”

You held up one finger. “Stop complaining about my music. You’re not going to stop me from listening to it.” You held up a second finger before he could respond. “Let me deal with the demons and stop bringing them inside.” Again, he moved to speak, but you put up a third finger. “Bring home something other than pizza for a change.”

You swore you saw the flicker of a smile. “Fine.”

“Fine,” You repeated. “Then I’ll go with you.

“Morrison has called in a few different requests. Dante and the others went for one, and they expect us to handle the others.”

“Urgent?”

“You have some time.” He said. 

You paused a moment. Then, “How long was I out?”

“Two days.”

You choked. “Two days?”

“I don’t like to repeat myself,” He said as he turned back toward the door. “And I suggest you get these plants figured out.”

“I’ll be the one to worry about my plants,” You said. “You leave them alone.”

Vergil paused, glancing back into the room. “He slept here?”

It took you a moment to realize who he was talking about. Odd that he wasn’t saying “I”, but maybe he too was still struggling with it as much as you. “Most of the time. We never had quite so many plants though.”

He paused again. Then, “I was told this was the best way to even out your demonic energy.”

You blinked. “You did this?”

“I’m leaving in an hour,” He said without looking back. “With or without you.”

Then he left, leaving you irrefutably confused and, surprisingly, a little disappointed. 

* * *

An hour was rather generous of him, so you made sure to use every bit of it. You even set a hard timer on your phone, so he couldn’t possibly argue with you when you sauntered down to the front of the store exactly 59 minutes since he left, ready to go. This time, you had been a bit smarter about your clothing choice, just in case the vine wanted to come out and play again; a low hanging tank top and a jacket zipped up to your neck to hide the scar. And he did scowl at you - you had a feeling you’d never get away from that - but he didn’t complain and off you went. 

Today, you had three separate jobs; two scouting requests (you didn’t find anything on those) and one suspicious potential demon in a greenhouse on the other side of the city. You ignored the irony that you of all people were sent to the greenhouses, but you realized immediately upon your arrival that it may have been for more reasons than just a demon. The plants inside were sickly. Flowers were wilting. Fruits and vegetables were dying. And, if you remembered right, this was a very important source of food for the people that had survived the tree. 

“Can you fix this?” Vergil said as he knelt in front of vines filled with rotten tomatoes. 

You knelt beside him, brushing your fingers against the vegetables. The rot slowly disappeared, and the tomatoes turned a bright, fresh red once again. “I don’t know about all of them,” You said. “Not without some demons for fuel.”

“There are some around,” He said. 

“Hiding?”

“You can’t feel them?”

You paused, pressing your fingers against the ground. You could feel the roots wrapping around themselves and seeds that had yet to grow. But you could also feel strange holes in between them. Small, humanoid shaped holes. “Not directly,” You said. “But…” You twisted your hand, moving a few of the roots. Then, you pulled your hand up, spearing them through the holes. You heard a few screeches that went silent within seconds. “They’re what's eating the plants away.”

Vergil left your side, slicing through the ground over where you felt one of the holes. He ripped a demon body out of it, stabbing it himself before tossing it at your feet. You wrinkled your nose, grateful it wasn’t one of the stinkier demons you’d dealt with over the last few weeks. “How did you manage that?” You said. 

He smirked, but it faded quickly. “The Yamato can cut through anything.”

_ Yamato.  _ He spoke of it so fondly. Almost like a parent would a child. That was the first time you’d head that name. Dante had proudly named his own sword “Devil Sword Dante” apparently (and you’d teased him over that more than enough by now), but Yamato seemed… different. Just as special, you assumed, but different in a way you couldn’t understand. You wondered if that would be something he’d be willing to tell you about if you asked. 

“There’s more,” He said. 

“You want me to kill them?”

“That’s what you’re here for.”

You rolled your eyes. “And here I thought you didn’t need me.” You hopped around to the other side of the demon - a small, gremlin looking thing - and unzipped the top of your vest. The vine was quick this time, sucking out the rest of the demon’s blood with eagerness before vanishing again. You zipped up your jacket and felt for more gaps. You found five in total, but only three were big enough to absorb anything from. However, you made sure to pour back whatever you got into the soil, regrowing all the plants you could. 

“Will they grow back normally?”

You blinked before you realized he’d even spoken. “They should if they’re taken care of,” You said. “But I take care of my own flowers so…” You shrugged as you moved back to the entrance. “There’s more nearby. A lot more. I’ll get what I can but you might have to start carrying your own weight.” You gave him a dismissive wave and wandered over to the next greenhouse before he could respond. You did, however, hear a light sigh of annoyance as you walked away. 

The second greenhouse was as infested as the first, with you uprooting the few you killed and Vergil grabbing others before you could. By the third greenhouse, it had turned into something close to a competition, with him moving much faster than a human should and you stretching your mental connection as far as it could possibly go to beat him to the punch. A few times, you swore he just disappeared and wondered if his demon powers gave him the ability to teleport. Of course, that was probably cheating, but you were at the limits of your power, so it seemed only fair he should get to use his own. 

By the sixth greenhouse you were exhausted, and the demons you were finding weren’t enough to sustain the number of plants you’d brought back to life. You sat down outside of it, breathing heavily as you leaned your head back and let your eyes close. It was the last one, but you weren’t sure if you’d be able to fix it today. Even your senses were muddled, as you weren’t even able to feel the roots of the grass anymore. 

But you’d done a great service. That had to be good enough. 

“Done already?” Vergil said.

You opened your eyes just to glare at him. “Not all of us have the stamina you do.” 

Was that another flicker of a smirk? You weren’t certain. “Maybe you shouldn’t have challenged me.”

“I never challenged you,” You said. “I just told you to stop being dead weight.”

Vergil rolled his eyes. “Stay here. I’ll deal with the rest.”

“Don’t you dare think me weak,” you said, throwing your hand out. It was shaky and fell back against your side quicker than you intended. “I’m more than capable of…” Deep breath. “Keeping up.”

“Clearly,” Vergil said as he entered the greenhouse. You heard the screeches of demons behind you and just closed your eyes again. You’d siphon energy from them later. He’d been pretty good so far at leaving everything for you, but you supposed he didn’t need it. He clearly had all the power he needed while you were left to siphon from the leftovers. 

A rustle from nearby caught your attention. You let your head fall to the side, staring out over the open field. You noticed subtle movement in the grass. But there was no wind to stir it up and nobody in the fields to disturb it. Frowning, you forced yourself to your feet and moved over to where you thought the rustling was coming from. You placed your hand on the ground, drawing from the grass so you could sense what was underneath it. 

Your eyes widened. Big holes. Dozens of them. How had you not sensed them before? 

“Verg…”

You screamed as numerous holes burst open at once. The gremlin demons landed and charged straight at you. You tried to get to your feet, but your exhaustion took over and you crumbled. You reached for the grass, begging it to rise for you. But it wilted instead. You snapped your head up as a gremlin jumped at you. 

Blue lines filled the air between you and the demons. The gremlins screamed as they hit the ground, sliced to pieces. Your eyes caught a blue blur, and the others nearby died in an instant. Vergil appeared before you, sheathing Yamato with a loud, deliberate click. You stared at him, mouth agape as your heart pounded somewhere in your throat. “I didn’t sense them.”

“You were too focused on the greenhouses,” He said. 

“You knew they were there?”

“I knew there were more around,” Vergil turned to the carnage of broken soil and torn roots. “We’ll get some soil sent over from Fortuna. Send Dante out to fix it.”

You pushed yourself back to your feet, wincing as you took a few steps forward. Most of the demons had already bled out, but there were a few you could still absorb.  _ I don’t deserve these,  _ you thought. You didn’t kill them. You weren’t stronger than them. But you needed the energy, and all you could imagine was V smiling as he took a step back, ignoring the demons he and the others had killed in front of you. 

_ You need it too.  _

“Thank you,” You whispered as you zipped your coat back up. 

“Is a day enough time for you to recover?”

You closed your eyes and nodded. “There’s plenty of demons here.”

“Dante promised to bring some home.”

“... That’s kind of him.”

Vergil turned away. “We’re done here.” 

“Wait,” You said as you moved to the last greenhouse. 

“What are you doing?”

“Fixing the last one,” You said as you pushed yourself inside.

“You don’t have the energy for that.”

“You don’t know what kind of energy I have,” You said as you continued into the middle of the greenhouse, turning your hand as you went. The plants bloomed as you passed by, smaller than the other greenhouses, but alive and ready for someone else to take care of them. When you were done, you took a deep breath, listening for the vine. It was silent now, and you wondered if you’d managed to even your energy out. “Now we can go,” You said, but jumped when you realized Vergil was in the doorway. 

“You’re pushing yourself.”

“I’m doing my job,” You said. “Why else would you all have sent me here?” You moved to push past him, but he didn’t let you. His gaze locked with yours, but you still couldn’t read his expression. “What?” You said, unable to hide your frustration. “Were you expecting me to just stand around and watch you do everything?”

“No,” He said. 

“Then what is it?”

“Is this how you were with him?”

You froze, confused. “Like… what with him?”

“Loud and careless.”

Your jaw clenched and your eyes narrowed. “We knew how to work together,” You said. “And respected each other, something I’m not even sure you’re capable of.” 

He let you move past him then, and you flipped open your phone to call someone else for a ride. 


	5. PART FIVE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more left to go for this particular story. I am already working on some spin-offs though so... 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter! :D

The next week and a half went by awkwardly. You and Vergil still went on missions together, mostly because Dante was ecstatic that you’d managed it and you really didn’t want to let him down. But you barely talked to each other more than the occasional quip or piece of needed information. Vergil seemed less willing to compete with you, killing everything quickly and leaving the bodies for you to choose between. You barely got to use your powers when he was around, something that even the vine seemed to be upset about. The pinpricks against your heart had gotten worse, and the only way to deal with it so far had been heading back out to the greenhouses. The owners called you a miracle worker, but you made sure they were never around when you worked your magic. 

You’d also slowly removed yourself from the denial phase, and now fully believed that the V you knew was never coming back. It was a tough thing to accept, especially when you continued to dream about him almost every night. But after Lady and Trish finally came clean as to what actually happened around the Qliphoth Tree, you believed them. Vergil was V. A much harsher, less compassionate V. And you had to accept that. 

It didn’t stop the grief though, as much as you thought it might. 

So when you woke up feeling particularly down on a dreary Saturday, you weren’t surprised. 

Early on, you decided just to stay in your room. You figured Vergil wouldn’t care. In fact, you assumed he’d be relieved when you didn’t show up at your usual leaving time and just head out on his own. You did try to do something with your time, whether it be reading or writing or just… anything else. But you kept finding yourself right back in bed, staring either at the ceiling or the back of your eyelids for hours on end. And you supposed it was about time for something like this. You’d been in denial for so long that it was inevitable, really. And now that the nightmares had returned, you wondered if you’d ever get another good night of sleep again. 

At one point, you glanced at the bracelets still adorning your wrists. You hadn’t had the heart to remove them, nor did you know what to do with them. You promised to hold onto them until he returned. Technically, he had. But you had a feeling Vergil wouldn’t want one. He’d never want it. Of that you were certain.

When 2pm hit, you were surprised by another quiet knock at the door. 

You stared at the wilting blue roses in front of you. The rest of the plants were in an equal state of disarray, fueled by your terrible mood. You’d be able to fix them once you felt better, but there was nothing you could do about it now. You had yet to take a shower, nor had you changed out of the pajamas you’d been wearing for the last day and a half. You really didn’t even want to answer the door, but you didn’t think you’d be able to pretend you weren’t there either. The brothers alone could probably sense you, even if Trish wasn’t home. And the only person you’d heard leave this morning was Dante. There was a chance it was Trish or Lady, but you just had a _feeling._ You’d been around Vergil long enough that you could practically sense him now. You didn’t know if it had something to do with him being your vine’s “master” or not. It really didn’t matter. 

Finally, you sighed and forced yourself up right. You flicked your hand and one of the vines wrapped around the knob and jerked it open. In stepped Vergil, dressed as immaculate as ever. Not a hair was out of place, and you wondered what he’d been doing all morning. Probably reading. You were convinced that was all he ever did when not killing demons or arguing with his brother. “Are you going to lie around all day?” He said. 

You glared at him as you reached for a pillow. “If you have nothing good to say I suggest you leave.” 

You heard him sigh as you rolled away, wrapping yourself up stubbornly in the blankets. “Your plants are dying.” 

You felt like crying, but held it back. “Thanks. I hadn’t noticed.”

“Which means you aren’t feeling well, yes?”

“Why do you care?” You said, refusing to look at him. “I thought you’d be happy without someone to pester you.”

You heard another sigh, followed by the door closing. What was his plan? Drag you out of bed and force you on a mission? Sit in the room until he intimidated you out of bed? What was the point in all of this? You wished he would just leave and so you could wallow the day away and hope you felt better tomorrow. But then, just as the silence was about to get unbearable, you felt something drop on top of the blankets. “Get dressed,” Vergil said. “We leave in 15 minutes.”

You flinched at the command, swallowing in an attempt to ignore it. “I’m not interested, Vergil.”

“I’m not asking.”

“Just go on your own,” You muttered. “You’ve proven time and time again you don’t need my help.”

“There aren’t any tasks today,” he said. 

“I’m not scouting either.”

“Get dressed,” he repeated. 

The vine twisted tighter in your chest, begging you to respond. You stubbornly ignored the pain. Instead, you lurched upright, awkwardly unwrapping yourself from the blankets enough to glare at him. “You don’t get it do you?”

“If I don’t intervene then you will waste the rest of the day away.”

“And maybe that’s what I need to do.” 

“But is it what you want to do?”

“Of course not,” you snap. “But sometimes life doesn’t give you much of a choice.”

“I’m giving you a choice,” He said as calm as ever. 

“Last time I checked,” You said. “You weren’t life.”

“I’m not asking again,” Vergil said, clicking Yamato. “You can either get dressed and come with me or sit there and waste the rest of your day away.” He left before you could respond, quite nearly slamming the door behind him. You glared at it for far too long but groaned when some of your plants bloomed back to life. Of course they would respond to anger. At least you knew you had the energy to fuel them. Maybe you could find the strength to get out of bed today. Or you could just ignore him and go back to sleep. 

But you found yourself… conflicted. Where could Vergil possibly take you that would make your day better that didn’t involve demons? Now you were curious, and you had a feeling he knew it. 

Curse that nosy, infuriating blue-devil. 

Finally, you got yourself out of bed. You were surprised to find that Vergil had tossed you a matching pair of clothes and your favorite jacket. Had he really been paying that much attention to you? Impossible. Even on jobs he rarely looked at you. Maybe he’d just gotten lucky with his choices. Regardless, you begrudgingly put them on, lacking the energy to find anything else, threw your hair up into a messy pony-tail and found one of your perfumes to mask the lack of a shower. At the end of it, you stared at yourself in the mirror, wondering if this was the right decision. You could still feel your bed pulling at you, but you were able to ignore it as you wandered down the stairs where Vergil was waiting. 

“So where are we going?” You said. 

He cut open a portal and stepped aside. “Go.”

You scowled as your feet twitched, aching to follow the command. “You’re terrible at this “avoiding accidental commands” thing today.”

“They’re not accidental,” He said. “Now go.” 

“Asshole,” You muttered as you found yourself unable to ignore his summons any longer. You stepped through the portal as miserable-looking as possible, but your mood perked when you saw where he’d taken you. “An animal shelter?” You said as he stepped out beside you and the portal snapped shut. “What are we doing here?”

“Dante has agreed that the shop could be a bit more lively for days that you might be home alone.” He glanced at you. “Something that isn’t fully dependent on your moods.”

For some reason, you found yourself excited. “We’re getting a pet?”

“You are, yes,” Vergil said. “Morrison has taken care of all the paperwork. You just need to pick the one that suits you.” He crossed his arms. “A quiet one, preferably.”

“Is that a command?”

Vergil sighed. “No. It’s entirely yours to pick and take care of.”

You rolled your eyes. “You got it, dad.”

Vergil scowled, but you just laughed as you made your way across the street. “Are you coming with me?”

Vergil’s eyebrow shot up. “You want me to join you?”

You paused. “It’s probably best that you do, right? Not every animal will feel comfortable around a demon, so we should probably find one that is.”

Slowly, Vergil nodded. “I suppose that makes sense.”

“Is that a compliment?”

He huffed as he walked by you, but you were quick to catch up. As the doors opened, dozens of smells almost overwhelmed you. A dozen sunflowers nearby started to grow, but you caught yourself and shrunk them again before anyone noticed. A short brunette grinned at both of you from behind the counter. “Welcome!” She said. “Here for an adoption?”

“Yes,” Vergil said, slipping past you as he reached into his coat and put a stack of papers on the table. 

The woman looked them over quickly and nodded. “Anybody in particular you’re looking for?”

“Cats,” You said. Vergil glanced at you in what might have been surprise, but you were too excited to care. “Something that loves to cuddle and play, but can also spend some time alone while we’re at work.” 

The woman nodded again. “I always love helping couples pick out their first little buddy.”

You blinked. Vergil stiffened beside you. “Oh no, it's not like that.” You said.

The woman chuckled. “It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone.” She winked as she turned away, leaving you flustered. Vergil just rolled his eyes and followed after the woman. You rushed to catch up to them. “No really, it’s…”

“Stop,” Vergil said. You froze in place, glaring at him. “Not like that.”

“How else is one supposed to stop?”

He sighed in annoyance. “Stop… stopping.”

You let go of a breath as your body released. “Stop doing that.”

“It’s harder than it looks.”

“Clearly,” You walked past him, but your irritation faded the second you stepped into the kitten corral. Various pitches of meows greeted you as numerous kittens moved toward the front of their cages and peered at you. Some ignored you completely. Others were playing with each other. You followed along the sides, peering at as many kittens as you could. “They’re so cute!” You breathed. 

“You’ll probably want an older cat,” The woman said. “You’ll find those over here.” 

On the way, you stopped at a certain cage, your heart swelling the second you saw the black cat inside. It was alone, curled up in a ball and purring as it slept the day away. But all you could see was a smaller Shadow, waiting for you to take him away. “Hey little guy,” You whispered, reaching your fingers through the cage to gently pet its ears. The cat’s eyes opened, but he just eyed you curiously, his tail flicking back and forth. 

“That’s one of our new arrivals,” The woman said. “We’ve been calling him Shadow.”

“Can I hold him?”

“Of course!” She said as she opened the cage. “He’s incredibly calm and quiet. I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t been adopted before now.” She gently pulled Shadow from his cage, handing him to you. The cat purred as you held him like a baby, scratching behind his ears.

“Vergil!” You said, turning toward him. You were surprised to find that he was waiting in the doorway, eyes locked on you. After a moment, you moved toward him, holding Shadow out. “What do you think?”

“He’s your pet,” Vergil said. “I don’t…” He trailed off as you shoved the cat into his arms. Vergil’s eyes widened before moving back to the cat himself. The creature sat up in Vergil’s arms, eyes meeting his. You swore you saw Vergil melt just a bit. His shoulders relaxed. His gaze softened. For the briefest of moments, you could imagine V standing there, smiling as he cradled the cat with the same fondness he’d given his familiars. You shook your head, dispelling the image. Vergil wasn’t smiling, but his mouth was surprisingly agape, and you wondered what he was thinking. Did he even remember Shadow? Surely something so important to his human self would have remained in his head. But he hadn’t remembered you, so nobody but Vergil knew how all of that worked. 

But you’d never seen him like this. Relaxed. Slightly surprised. Guard down. He’d always been so uptight around you, especially after the greenhouse incident. But this was more… V like. A man that didn’t care what people thought of him and wasn’t afraid of his own emotions. 

“Vergil?”

He snapped his mouth closed and his muscles returned to their original rigidity. He handed Shadow back before crossing his arms and leaning against the door. “It's your choice,” he said, but you heard a strange sense of longing in his tone. 

You looked down at the cat, only to see it staring back at you. “I think we’ve found our companion,” You said. This time, Vergil didn’t react to your wording. In fact, he almost seemed to relax. 

The woman smiled. “I’ll get the paperwork.”

* * *

“Why am I not surprised?” Dante said when he returned home to find you playing with your new cat in the lobby. Vergil was reading on the couch behind you, but you hadn’t missed how his eyes had occasionally drifted to you and Shadow throughout the evening. Of course, he never asked to hold the cat again, and you knew he would never admit to wanting to play with him, but you knew he approved. “And let me guess. His name is _Shadow._ ”

“The adoption center named him,” You said. 

“But that is his name, yeah?”

You smiled as Shadow curled up into your lap, purring. “Maybe.”

Dante laughed as he plopped down at his desk. “And Vergil approved?”

“It wasn’t my choice,” Vergil said.

You rolled your eyes. “He’s said that a lot today.” You scratched behind Shadow’s ears. “But he didn’t complain when we went shopping for the toys, the food, or the crate. We got Shadow a bed too! So, I’d call that a victory.”

“Verge loves him,” Dante said as he kicked his feet up. “I can tell by the look on his face.” 

Vergil didn’t say anything, but you were more than used to that by now. “Well it’s a good time for us to get to bed,” You said, rising from your seat on the floor with Shadow in hand. The cat meowed as it yawned, approving of your decision. “When are we leaving tomorrow?”

Vergil’s eyes shot up in surprise. “What?”

“Well you have a plan, don’t you?” You said, nuzzling your cat. 

“... I’ll tell you in the morning.”

As you climbed the stairs, you heard Dante laugh. “I knew this was a good idea.”


	6. PART SIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the "demonic spiders" come into play so... if you were wondering where that tag came from, here it is!

While it took a few days for your mood to fully improve, sleeping beside little Shadow certainly helped. And you were surprised to find that even Vergil was a bit more pleasant. You made sure to leave Shadow with him from time to time as you “conveniently” had something else to do. Then you’d leave for a bit, usually reading by yourself or something equally as important. And whenever you came back, you’d always find Shadow sleeping in Vergil’s lap. Once, you’d even caught him playing with the cat, but he’d tossed the toy aside the second he noticed you and went back to reading, stubborn as ever. 

But you didn’t mind. You found it… endearing. And you had to admit, it was refreshing to not be angry at him all the time. Not that he completely avoided doing  _ something _ to annoy you. You supposed that would never change, and you were more than capable of turning it on him just as quickly. But everyone else had noticed that the animosity between you two had dissipated somewhat after you brought Shadow home. You still barely talked, but at least it was a comfortable silence instead of a painful refusal to acknowledge each other’s existence.

But today was a strange day. For the first time in as long as you could remember, everyone in Devil May Cry was all together, wandering toward the middle of Red Grave on a call about a demon infestation. You hadn’t seen much yet, nor had you sensed anything under the earth. Trish and Lady had been muttering back and forth about something, probably annoyed that they’d had to come out for nothing. Vergil led the way, with Dante sauntering behind. 

“I’m sure we’ll find something,” He said. “I doubt a client would have called just to mess with us.”

“Haven’t seen anything yet,” Lady said with a yawn. “You got anything, Rose?”

“Afraid not,” You said. “But maybe that’s a good thing.” You pressed your hand along the ground again, feeling for the roots. The streets of Red Grave had been torn up in the incident, and many plants had begun to grow through the holes in the concrete. There were also a lot of demon plants buried deep in the soil, but none of them would emerge without your provocation. Without the tree or you to fuel them, they were worthless and wilting. But you felt no unusual gaps beyond what you’d expect, and no signs of plant demons that simply hadn’t shown themselves. “I doubt I’d sense anything before the brothers.”

“Probably true,” Lady said. “It was worth checking.”

Vergil stopped suddenly. Dante knocked into him, earning a summoned sword to the shoulder. A month ago, such a random act of violence would have startled you. Now, you realized that Dante either felt no paint or didn’t care in the slightest. “What is it, Verge?” He said. “I don’t feel a thing.”

“Then you’re not trying hard enough,” Vergil said. 

“Or maybe I’m not as in tune with the demon world as you.”

Vergil said nothing after that, but you noticed how his hand moved almost protectively to Yamato. Did he sense something? Vergil wasn’t the type of person to lie about such a thing. You’d learned over the course of your time together that he preferred brutal honesty to white lies, and you’d often been on the receiving end of such thoughts. And maybe Dante was right. You didn’t know too much about the tree, but if Vergil’s other half had raised it… then maybe…

_ Pay attention, my little vine,  _ V had once said to you in a situation eerily similar to this one.  _ Some demons can hide themselves in plain sight, even from those who should know they are there.  _ And he’d been right then too, as you quickly found demons that had managed to transform into objects on the streets and a strange suit of armor that came careening off the roof.

_ The roof.  _

You stopped in your tracks, eyes drifting upward. You wouldn’t sense anything on the buildings unless the plants themselves were up there. Surely Vergil and Dante would have thought of such a thing already, but none of you had made the effort to actually check. Maybe from there, you could see something you couldn’t from down here? It was a possibility. So, without telling anyone - you’d catch up to them anyway - you moved toward a set of flowers budding beside a building. You knelt down, wrapping your hand around one. You willed it to grow and it did, expanding into a flower the size of a small seat. You plopped down on it, drawing the roots upward. It moved quicker than you expected, but you hopped onto the roof with relative ease. 

To your surprise, there were some plants on top, but they looked strange. They were like flowers, black and white petals with yellow stems. But the bulbous roots reminded you of the demon you’d killed forever ago. You knelt by one, feeling for its roots. But it didn’t have any. The plant just existed as if…

_ Oh.  _

You stood up, looking to the other rooftops. There were hundreds of these plants spread out before you like egg sacs clinging to buildings. Some were bigger than others, reaching up to your knees while some only came up to your ankle. But they were most certainly demonic, you just weren’t sure how far their reach was. 

You jumped as Vergil appeared in front of you. “Stop doing that,” You wheezed, grabbing at your heart. 

He looked around, lips tightening as you assumed he made the same connection as you. “They don’t smell like anything,” He said. “They don’t even feel like demons.”

“They’re not normal plants,” You said. “They’re not grounded in soil, they're just… there, somehow growing through the concrete.” 

Vergil frowned, teleporting to the next building where more plants waited. You summoned your own small bridge, joining him on the other side. “They have to be demons, right?”

“It’s possible these were left behind by the tree, but didn’t manifest until now.”

“This place is usually a dead zone,” You said. “So Lady, Trish and I had no reason to be out here. Wouldn’t have even seen them.”

Suddenly, a pod nearby cracked. You both spun toward it with Vergil stepping in front of you. You might have thought the gesture nice if you weren’t staring at the plant falling apart. The center burst, and dozens of hand sized spiders with flowers for heads emerged. You took a long step back, but the other flowers around you began to crack. “Vergil…”

You gasped he appeared behind you, quite literally dragging you right off the roof. You landed in his arms but it still jarred your neck to an uncomfortable degree. “Ow.”

“Summon your plants,” He said as he quite nearly dropped you. “Dante!” 

“Way ahead of you!” His brother’s voice called back, but you couldn’t see the other three. Loud screeches echoed in all directions as spiders began spilling off the rooftops. You summoned every plant you could, slamming at them with vines and roots of all shapes and sizes, but there were hundreds of the things skittering down from the rooftops including some that were as big as you. 

You barely felt Vergil grab your wrist as he yanked you away from the onslaught. You stumbled at first, but found your footing and took off with him, summoning whatever you could with each step. The plants drove the spiders back, but most were used as climbing tools to reach the ground quicker. In another second, Vergil grabbed you and leapt an impossible height, back onto one of the buildings. He dropped you, but you didn’t have the time to be angry as he unsheathed Yamato and sliced all the demons around you in one go. You saw Dante and the girls down on the street, tearing through whatever they could. But the waves of spiders descended upon them in droves. It was a horrifying sight, one you knew would plague your nightmares if you all got of here alive. 

A quiet cackle echoed in your mind. The vine constricted around your heart, shooting pain through your limbs. You grabbed at it, flinching away from the edge as your vision blurred. “What is it?” Vergil said. 

“I don’t…” You paused, trying to remember where you’d felt this feeling before. Once with him, but not  _ because  _ of him. At least, that’s what you could remember. No, it was something else. Something driving the vine into a frenzy. Something like…

“Another sister,” You whispered. “Or a relative of some kind.”

“What?” Vergil said. 

“I felt like this with that plant demon the other day,” You said. “I thought it was just because you were there… but maybe it was because of her…” You stepped up to the edge of the building again, searching for any large demon possible. But even cleared, your fallible human vision didn’t reach all that far. You summoned enough plants to hop to the next rooftop, stabbing through the few bulbs that had yet to break open. You spread your own vines as fast as possible, killing the horde of spiders inside. Vergil followed suit, slicing the other three plants to a fine dust. 

“You think something else is here?”

“They must be under someone’s control,” You said. “Why else would they have all broken out now?”

“Lots of reasons,” Vergil said. 

“But if someone is controlling them, then maybe finding that person will stop them.”

“Or it will do absolutely nothing.”

“Well unless you’ve got a few flamethrowers hiding under your jacket I don’t think we have many other options.” You moved to the next building, killing the single plant there. The others had already broken open, but the spiders were all focused on pouring out over the ground. You found that odd. Shouldn’t they be reacting to you? Or Vergil at the very least? Were they that intent on killing Dante? Or was there something about you distracting them?

“If the demon’s another sister, then maybe the spiders are ignoring me,” You mumbled, more to yourself than Vergil. 

Of course, he heard you anyway. “It doesn’t explain why they haven’t attacked me.”

“Yes it does,” You said, your tone a bit sour. “If she’s someone else that pledged her allegiance to you.” You moved to the next building, summoning plants wherever you went. You had a whole network of many bridges as you jumped past Dante and the others. They were handling themselves just fine, though Lady had this horrified disgusted look on her face that you could deeply relate to. “Hold on,” you whispered, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. Vergil was moving close behind, using your makeshift pathways rather than teleporting around himself. You wondered why that was a conscious choice, but shook the thought off. Now was not the time to be questioning someone you never understood anyway. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, you found what you thought you were looking for. A giant hole in the ground that some spiders were coming out of. You wrinkled your nose at the thought of entering such a thing, but you’d come too far to back out now. You could practically feel the vine tugging at you, but you couldn’t tell if it was excitement to see whoever was down there, or some kind of defensive mechanism warning you to run away. And you could just send Vergil in there alone - that was probably the smarter move- but the spiders had avoided you until now… maybe their controller would talk to you too. 

You gently lowered yourself off the building, pulling back all of the plants you’d used to traverse the rooftops. You felt your energy replenish in a heartbeat. Vergil hopped down beside you and the spiders ran around you both. You glanced at him, but he was already moving toward the hole. “Stay here,” He said. 

Your legs stopped mid-step, rooting you to the spot. “You’re joking right?” You said. “You’re just going to leave me here, powerless to fight anything, as you go down into the hole that  _ I  _ found?”

He glanced back at you. “I never said you couldn’t fight.”

“You still suck at this,” You said, gesturing to your legs. “Stay here? Really?”

He glared at you. “Move.”

You stumbled forward, caught off guard by the sudden feeling in your legs again. “I’m going with you.”

“And if I say no?”

“You won’t,” You said. “Besides, how do you know the spiders won’t just chase you if you abandon me?”

“It was your theory that whatever is down there is on  _ my  _ side.”

“Or it's on  _ mine  _ and you’re just lucky,” you said as you crossed your arms. “Now are we going to keep arguing or are you going to take me down there?”

His glare intensified, but, to his credit, he did move to pick you up. “Foolish woman,” He muttered as you wrapped your arms around his neck and peered into the hole you were about to plummet into. 

“Stubborn half-demon,” You said lamely. It was quite possibly the worst response you could have come up with, but it was all you could think of in the heat of the moment. And Vergil’s dramatic eye-roll told you it hadn’t landed well. “What are you waiting for?” you snapped. “Just ju-”

You couldn’t stop the scream of surprise when he did what you asked, dropping into the hole with little fanfare. You pressed your face into his chest, imagining all the ways you might break to pieces at the bottom of this drop. But as the fall continued, you heard the unfurling of something above you. Something like…

_ Wings?  _

You jerked your head up to meet Vergil’s gaze. And you might have dwelled on the fact that he’d been staring at  _ you  _ that whole time more if a pair of beautiful, bright blue wings weren’t stretched out behind him, glowing in the dark. They flapped once, slowing your fall to a gentle glide. For once, his smirk remained longer than a few seconds. “Surprised?” He said. 

“Your demon form has wings?”

“Of course.”

You scowled at him. “That’s not a given trait of demons last time I checked.”

He landed with a quiet thud, but you barely even felt it. The wings vanished, likely summoned by some crazy demon magic. He sat you down this time - generous of him - and gazed up into a dark tunnel. You yelped as you felt spiders skitter past you, but they were few and far between. Thank whomever for small favors as you think you might have died from a heart attack had they been as plentiful in here as they were up top. “So how far does it…” You trailed off as you realized his eyes were glowing a brilliant blue, much brighter than his usual, silver-blue irises. 

“Stay close,” He said, a command you didn’t mind following for once, as he moved forward through the tunnel. And while you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, the world felt strange. While you normally sensed the plants under your feet, this time you could feel them everywhere. Underneath you. Over your head. On both sides. You tested the waters, running your hand along the wall. You felt plants emerge at your fingers, but jumped when Vergil grabbed your hand. “Don’t do that.”

“I was just testing it out,” You said. 

“And bring the whole tunnel down on us?”

“I’m more careful than that,” You huffed. “Ye of so little-” He stopped you again with a hand on your shoulder, cutting the conversation short. That’s when you realized there was a light at the end of the tunnel. “Is it a demon?” You whispered. 

“Yes,” Vergil said. 

“So I was right?”

He glared at you again, but it was much softer than usual. Odd. “It seems so.”

You both moved forward as the light expanded. Soon, you found yourself in a pit at the end of the tunnel with rays of sun seeping through small holes in the ceiling. A massive spider was in the center of the room. You gasped as it turned toward you noticing there was a human form embedded on its stomach. At first, you thought it might be someone else like you. Someone sealed away in a demon. But then the human’s eyes shot open and a wicked smile crossed her face. “Well, well,” She said. “I thought I sensed my cousin… never expected it would be you.”

“I’ve heard that before,” You said. 

“So you killed Belladonna?” The spider said. “Good riddance. She always was a nuisance.” The spider took numerous steps forward, beady eyes jumping between yourself and Vergil. “Are you here to kill me, Demon King?”

“Yes,” Vergil said simply. 

“Unfortunate,” The demon said. “I had hoped we could…"

You jumped as Vergil disappeared. A second later, the demon screeched as demonic blood squirted in all directions. The demon collapsed before your eyes, dead. Vergil reappeared beside you, clicking Yamato closed as usual. The spiders around you fell from the ceiling, collapsing all around you. “Well that’s… anticlimactic.”

“No point in letting the thing talk,” He said. “We need to return to the surface.” 

Then, the spiders began to move. 

You lurched backward as they filled the doorway, all of them turning on you. Vergil killed the ones he could, and you pulled on the roots nearby. But they were numerous, as if all the spiders from the surface had come to avenge their master.

Suddenly, you felt it. A spike of demonic energy that washed over you like a waterfall. In another second, Vergil was gone, replaced by a massive, blue demon. You swore the vine in your chest shrieked in response as you stumbled away.  _ No.  _ A voice whispered. Was it your own? You weren’t sure. You were frozen in terror as the demon tore through the spiders, incinerating them with strike after strike. “No,” You whispered as the power bore down on your chest. You recognized it. It was the demon that had sealed you away. It was back. Back to seal you away again. 

_ No. No. No. No. _

You held your head, panic overcoming you. What was happening? That was Vergil, right? He wouldn’t hurt you. He couldn’t hurt you. He was in control. 

… Right?

_ “My little vine…” _

Your head jerked upright as the blue demon stood before you. His voice was low and distorted, but you could almost hear Vergil - no, you could almost hear  _ V  _ \- behind it. You scrambled backward.  _ “Don’t be afraid.” _

“Afraid?” You said. “How? You’re…” You trailed off as he knelt before you, claws reaching out to gently stroke your face. Your heart slowed at the touch. The vine uncoiled, confused just as much as you. “You’re the…”

His demonic form dissipated and Vergil returned. His hand didn’t move, but you did feel his thumb stroke your cheek. It was then that you realized you were crying. “It’s alright,” He whispered. “I’m here.”

You didn’t know why that comforted you, but you found yourself leaning into his hand. This had happened once before with V. You’d been in a panic after a demon almost killed you, and he’d joined you just like this. Hand on your cheek, wiping away your tears with a quiet promise.  _ I’m here.  _

“You remember,” You whispered. 

Vergil said nothing, but he didn’t need to. 


	7. PART SEVEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last part! It'll be a little while before I start posting the follow-ups, but they'll all be in the "Tendrils" series. So subscribe to that if you want to see more!
> 
> Hope you enjoy :D

Everything changed after that.

First, you noticed Vergil was taking greater care with you. He left more demons behind for you to kill, making you much more comfortable with siphoning their energy. He even began to talk to you more, and you slowly opened up to each other. You learned about his favorite food (strawberries), favorite poet (William Blake, same as V) and more of the superficial stuff. But you didn’t mind. You and V had been close, but neither of you had had the time for generalized conversation. With Vergil, it felt natural. 

You were slowly becoming friends. 

The only problem now was his demonic form. He’d used it a couple more times since the spider incident, and every time, it had activated some primal fear within you. You had yet to figure out if it was the vine’s problem or you. But either way, you hadn’t been able to function alongside it, much less fight. Vergil had tried to help, but he’d had to drop the transformation to stay near you for longer than a few seconds. And the worst part? Your nightmares were back. This time, it wasn’t the demon you’d been trapped in, but the one who had done it to you.

Now, however, you no longer blamed Vergil, as you truly believed that he was trying to help you, just as V did. Twice now, you’d woken up with him sitting nearby, something you’d given him permission to do after you started drawing plants up through Devil May Cry itself. Now, he woke you up if the nightmares got that bad to make sure you didn’t destroy the place. 

Finally, Dante held an intervention. “We have to do something about this,” Dante said in the most serious tone you’d heard from him in a long time. “As much as I love the plant life,” He poked a flower that had wrapped around the legs of his desk. “The holes in the floor are getting a bit obnoxious.”

You stared at the floor, exhausted and miserable. “I’m trying my best,” You murmured. 

“I know, Sunshine,” Dante said. “But there has to be a way to stop them.”

You didn’t respond. Vergil sighed as he leaned against the wall in front of you. “She has to get over her fear,” 

Dante leaned forward. “And how exactly do we go about helping her do that?”

“She has to approach my demon form,” Vergil said. 

“Maybe it would help if I was there with her?” Dante said. 

“Or if you showed her your own,” Vergil said. “Then we would know if it's human fear or the vine.”

“Maybe it's not afraid,” You whispered. 

Vergil’s eyebrow shot up. “Clearly you are.”

You closed your eyes. “In a way, yes, but I think my fear is grounded in what the vine wants.”

“And what do you think it wants?”

“To please you.”

The brothers exchanged glances. “It’s possible,” Dante said. “We don’t know much about the thing, so maybe it's expecting you to do something with it.”

“But the thought of being sealed away again terrifies the human side,” Vergil said thoughtfully. 

“But how do we give the vine what it wants without…” You trailed off, but you knew they understood. 

Dante hopped out of his seat and paced behind the desks. “There has to be some way to make it happy. Any ideas?”

“Build a connection,” Vergil said. 

You looked up. “What do you mean?”

Vergil pushed off the wall and approached you. “In the demon realm, if someone pledges themselves to a master, they are bound to them, even if something like this were to happen. However, there is a way to… promote them.”

“Promote them?” You said. “You think that will make the vine happy?”

“If it feels like an equal, it might leave you alone.”

Dante snorted. “How do you  _ promote  _ a sentient vine?”

“Let it feed off of me,” Vergil said. 

Your mouth dropped. “How is that supposed to help?”

You were even more surprised when Vergil actually knelt in front of you, putting his gaze even with your own. “When a demon allows another demon to consume their blood, then they are marking them as their equal.”

“Equal?” You said. “But I’m not… I’ll never be your equal.” 

“But it's the thought that counts,” Dante said. “The vine might accept it.”

“But I’m not nearly as strong as you.” You said. “Surely the vine has to know that.”

Your eyes widened a little more when he took your hand. “You’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

You stared at him. He’d never said something like that to you before. But V had. V had made sure you heard it almost every day of your short time together.  _ You’re strong, my little vine. Stronger than you know.  _ But hearing it from Vergil gave it so much more meaning. You knew from experience that he never gave compliments unless he truly meant him. In fact, you’d never heard him give one. Not even to his brother. Especially not to his brother. “If you think it will work,” You said. 

“It’s worth a shot,” Dante said. “But you’ll still have to get close to him. Do you think you can manage it, Sunshine? I’ll be right there with you.”

Slowly, you nodded. “I can do it.”

Vergil gently squeezed your hand. “Let’s find a better spot.”

* * *

Vergil’s better spot was about a mile away from the greenhouses, but out of sight from any humans that were living in the area. His logic was sound.  _ We don’t know how much energy you’ll need to expel once this is over.  _ But it didn’t make you any less nervous. You were scared. More than you wanted to admit. You didn’t know if you could overcome the fear that was deep inside you. You didn’t know how the vine would react to drinking his own blood. And, even worse, you didn’t know how your own body would handle it. The vine absorbed the demon blood, but what about the human blood? It would be a miracle if you were the same blood type, and you didn’t know if the vine would be able to handle the human blood the same way. But you didn’t express any of this as you tried to exude as much confidence as possible. You didn’t want them to think any less of you. 

Once you reached the spot, Vergil teleported away, leaving you alone with Dante. “I’ll be right here,” Dante said as he put a hand on your shoulder. 

“I’ll be okay,” You said, though you couldn’t quite keep the waiver from your voice. You tugged on your fingers, but quickly dropped them back to your side. Vergil looked like a statue in the distance, waiting for you. You knew you could still back out, but you didn’t want to. You wanted to fix this. You didn’t want to be a burden to your friends. 

“Ready?” Dante said. You nodded and he put his thumb up. “Go ahead, Verge!”

You felt the demonic energy wash over you as he transformed. Fear struck your heart, but you swallowed it down. This time, however, you could feel a sense of interest from deep within you. Did the vine understand what you were about to do? Or was it something else pushing you forward? 

_ Come to me.  _

Your feet moved before you were ready, but you accepted it as you walked across the field. The closer you got, the harder your fear set in. Soon, you were shaking, clenching your hands to try and hide it. It was a strange dance you felt within you, the half that wanted to obey and the other that wanted to run away. But you pushed yourself forward, forcing down your fear. Then, at some point in your walk, your fear slipped away. When you finally stopped in front of him, everything was replaced by awe. He was already tall, but his demonic form towered over you. His wings were pulled in, but they still extended by a good foot and a half, and a long, scaly tail wrapped at his feet, swaying from side to side. You stepped over it and stopped less than an arm's length away. “How do I do this?” you said. “You’re covered in scales.”

_ “Trust me,”  _ He said. “ _ Summon your vine.”  _

You nodded, unzipping your coat just as the vine emerged. You reached your hand toward his chest as it snaked out around your arm and toward him. As your fingers brushed his scales, the vine reached out and tapped them. You sucked in a breath, wincing as you felt it tighten around your heart, just as it always did when preparing to siphon someone’s energy. You still didn’t know how it would do it. He was completely covered in scales; a perfect suit of armor. But then he reached his hand out and ran his claws along the vine. It responded instantly, snaking around his arm in tight circles. When it stopped, you felt it squeeze around him. Then, you watched in shock as red blood began flowing through the vine. But when it reached your body, everything flared to life. You gasped, but his other hand pressed lightly against your back, holding you in place. Suddenly, everything felt different. Your sight was sharper. Numerous scents overwhelmed you from all directions. You could feel the blood pumping through your veins. Your heart beating in your chest. The plants pulsing in the ground. The vine wrapped around it, engorging itself on the blood of a powerful demon. 

“It’s never going to accept anything else,” You said, looking up at him. 

“ _ I assumed as much,”  _ he growled. 

“You expected this?”

_ “I’m prepared for it.”  _

Your heart swelled at the thought. You reached up slowly, brushing your fingers against his jaw. You swore you heard him purr as his tail thumped against the ground. You giggled, running your hand along the edges of his eyes. “How does it feel?” You said. 

“ _ The vine?”  _

“This form.” 

_ “Powerful,”  _ He said. 

“I can imagine,” You said. And you could feel it deep within your bones. His power, merging into your body. But your fear quickly returned. Fear that it would kill you. But you also felt a strange sense of calm. It was a weird mixture of feelings that you couldn’t explain, but you felt even more soothed as his tail rested at the back of your ankles. 

_ “You’re alright,”  _ He said.

“You can feel what I am, can’t you.”

_ “Yes.”  _

“That must be annoying.”

You swore you saw something akin to a smile, but it was so hard to tell with his shark-like teeth.  _ “That’s enough.”  _ The vine detached in an instant. Unfurling itself before retreating back into you. You reached for your chest, waiting for the pain. But it never came. In fact, you felt better than ever. How? You wished you knew. But the vine was satiated. Your fear was gone, and you were confident it would stay that way. 

But…

You glanced at the grass, curious. As you flexed your fingers, the blades moved in waves, following every twitch. You waved your arm out before pulling it back in. The grass grew out to one side, then shrunk back. Every small movement you could trace. Every twitch a blade moved. Every wave was followed by a ripple. You raised your hand toward you and the grass grew. Mesmerized, you gently spun your hand in a circle. The grass morphed, each blade expanding and braiding like it usually did. Except this time, the blades had a blue tint to them, as if the center was glowing. You arched your hand over your head and the thick braid shot over like an archway, planting itself on the opposite side. The second time you drew your hand, more grass grew in spirals around the archway and blue flowers blossomed. 

“Such power…” You whispered, your mind racing. What else could you do with this? What demons could you fight? What plants could you find? The possibilities felt as endless as the well of strength now residing within you.

The strength he’d willingly given you. 

Energy rushed past you as Vergil resumed his human form. “Better.” He said. It wasn’t a question.

“Very,” You agreed. “Thank you.”

He watched you for a long moment. Your breath hitched as you met his steely gaze. You’d already thought him handsome - not that you’d actually admitted it - but now he looked downright beautiful. Every detail was accentuated. The curve of his lips. The shape of his chin. The way a single piece of hair had fallen out of its perfect shape. His eyes, shimmering as they stared back at you with a look you couldn’t quite describe. 

“You’re welcome.”

You weren’t sure why that made you smile, but you knew it was one of the widest smiles you’d ever given him.

* * *

You were both right; now that the vine had tasted the best, it refused everything else. But you had one thing going for you: it took a long time for it to fully process everything Vergil gave to you. It was weeks before it required another dose, and you had no problems maintaining your flowers or using your powers as long as you were careful not to overdo it. And your nightmares had almost disappeared completely, saving Devil May Cry from a swift, plant-based end. 

Key word: almost. You no longer dreamed about that demon, but you dreamed about other things. Some were good - dreams you would never share with anyone in a million years - but others were terrifying. Images of V falling apart. Of Vergil getting hurt in a way he couldn’t heal. Dante and Vergil fighting over something you couldn’t remember. Plants piercing your body just as they had in that demon. But you were coming to manage them better. The plants no longer responded to your distress, and even your mood wasn’t enough to disrupt them any longer. It helped that you had Shadow, as the cat reminded you heavily of the panther you had grown to love and was just as willing to cuddle with you while you slept. 

And you had Vergil. Frequently close by. Always attentive. 

How things had changed. Now, the bracelets you had carried for so long were heavy on your wrists, begging you to return one to its rightful owner. But you couldn’t. You didn’t even know how to approach that topic with him. And what would he even do with it? Vergil didn’t strike you as a bracelet type of guy, no matter what his human form had done. Would he throw it away when you weren’t looking? That would probably be the tactful thing to do. Maybe then you’d forget about it. 

But then, he surprised you with one, complicated question.

“If I could bring V back, would you want to see him?”

You nearly choked on your breakfast, as he sipped at his drink “Is that even possible?” You said.

“Yes.”

“How?”

“The same way I did it the first time,” He said. 

Your heart nearly stopped. “But then you’d be splitting yourself… again. What about your demon half?”

He took another sip of coffee. “I’ve done it."

You stared at him. “You… you split yourself? Again?”

“Yes.”

“How could you do something so reckless?” You said. 

“I knew what would happen.”

“How could you possibly know something like that?” 

“Would you want to see him?” Vergil pressed.

A part of you hated yourself when you hesitated. “Not if it risks your life.”

“It’s not a risk,” He said. “It would be temporary.”

“But it doesn’t change anything,” You said. “You… are V, right? So what’s the point of bringing him back when you’re sitting right in front of me?”

A raised eyebrow was all you got, but you had learned by now that meant you’d caught him off guard. “You still dream of him.”

“How would you know that?”

“You say his name in your sleep.”

You looked away. “Surely that’s not all I say,” You muttered. 

“No,” Vergil admitted. “But it's enough.”

“Enough for what?”

“You haven’t moved on.”

You flinched, still not looking at him. Again, the bracelets felt heavy on your wrist. But Vergil continued. “Did you love him?”

This time, you did meet his gaze. “I don’t know,” You said. “We didn’t really have… the time.”

“Yet you let him sleep beside you,” Vergil said. “Let him hold your hand. Guide you. Teach you.”

“We were friends,” You said. 

“But if you had more time,”

“Stop,” You said, jerking upright. “He’s gone, Vergil. “I’ve accepted that.”

“I can bring him back.”

“I don’t care,” You said. “I…” 

Vergil stopped you, standing up himself as he clicked out Yamato. “Rose.”

“Don’t you dare,” You said. “Don’t you dare do that to yourself.”

“Why?” He said, crossing the room in a couple of strides. 

“Because I care about you!”

That gave him pause, even though his expression didn’t change. What was he thinking? You wish you knew. Unfortunately, the sentient vine hadn’t managed to give you that power quite yet. But he did resheate Yamato as he stared at you. Maybe you had rattled him, if only a little bit. Had he truly not expected you to say that? Maybe even you hadn’t expected it. “Vergil…” He stepped toward you, driving you back against the wall. Your breath caught as he leaned in, resting his arm above you. Still, he said nothing. Just watched you like a vigilant hawk, waiting for his prey to move. And move you did, reaching for your wrist as you pulled off one of the bracelets and held it out to him. His eyes shifted to it, and his lips turned to a frown. Your heart fell into your stomach, but you didn’t move. “I still have it,” You said. “Just like you asked me to.” 

“You held on to it for him,” He said. 

You shook your head. “I held on to it for you.”

After a long moment, he took it from you still staring at it. You held your breath, waiting. Then, his eyes flickered back to you. “I’m not V,” He said. 

“You’re Vergil,” You said quietly. “The V that came back.”

He was silent for an unbearable amount of time. And he was so close now. You could feel his breath on your lips. His hands kept twitching near your hips, as if he wanted to reach out but was refusing to. A few pieces of hair were out of place. The outside of his irises seemed to be glowing, and you wondered if that’s how he always looked and you’d just never noticed. “That’s your choice, then,” He said. 

“If you’re giving it,” You whispered. How dangerous that felt, especially when his eyes narrowed and the hand over your head clenched into a fist. You didn’t think he was angry. Maybe pensive, but not angry. The vine wasn’t twisting, but your heart was in your throat. You wished he would just do…

He kissed your forehead so tenderly that you nearly melted on the spot. And when he walked away without another word, you couldn’t help but smile. You didn’t need words. Actions were better anyway.

And hours later, when you were working on the paperwork and Vergil was reading in his usual spot, you caught a flash of blue on his wrist; a rose hiding just behind the sleeve of his jacket.

That was more than enough.


End file.
